Ca(2+) imaging and gene expression profiling of Lonicera Confusa in response to calcium-rich environment

As a medicinal plant widely planted in southwest karst of China, the study of adaptation mechanisms of Lonicera confusa, especially to karst calcium-rich environment, can provide important theoretical basis for repairing desertification by genetic engineering. In this study, the Ca(2+) imaging in the leaves of L. confusa was explored by LSCM (Laser Scanning Confocal Microscopy) and TEM (Transmission Electron Microscopy), which revealed that the calcium could be transported to gland, epidermal hair and stoma in the leaves of L. confusa in high-Ca(2+) environment. In addition, we simulated the growth environment of L. confusa and identified DEGs (Differentially Expressed Genes) under different Ca(2+) concentrations by RNA sequencing. Further analysis showed that these DEGs were assigned with some important biological processes. Furthermore, a complex protein-protein interaction network among DEGs in L. Confusa was constructed and some important regulatory genes and transcription factors were identified. Taken together, this study displayed the Ca(2+) transport and the accumulation of Ca(2+) channels and pools in L. Confusa with high-Ca(2+) treatment. Moreover, RNA sequencing provided a global picture of differential gene expression patterns in L. Confusa with high-Ca(2+) treatment, which will help to reveal the molecular mechanism of the adaptation of L. confusa to high-Ca(2+) environment in the future.